Thursday, September 29, 2011
Journal #4 - Food Narrative
The cafeteria sells great food, so I decided to eat the crab cake sandwich. Saying that it was delicious would not do it justice. The crab cake had big chunks of meat and was deliciously breaded. It was like biting into crab meat, but I didn’t have to pull apart the shell and it was way more delicious. It smelled fresh and reminded me of eating crab cakes in the fancy restaurant. The cafeteria workers made it look amazing too. It was big, plump and had fixings such as lettuce. The crab cake was so delicious that I was practically drooling. It was by far the most delectable meal I have ever had.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Journal #3 - No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch
“No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch” – Ann Hodgman
(The Norton Sampler p.77)
Read the selection and write a one paragraph response to the following questions.
1. Cite three specific examples of Hodgman’s descriptive imagery that you find to be particularly effective.
Hodgman uses many different descriptive images that are effective in getting her point across. She uses phrases such as, “stinky, white-flecked mush,” to describe the wet dog food and phrases like, “stinky, fat-drenched nuggets,” to describe dry dog food. These phrases help the reader understand just how disgusting the dog food was, without going into that much detail. She also says, “There was a horrifying rush of cheddar taste, followed immediately by the dull tang of soybean flower.” This sentence has some exaggeration and helps readers who may not have a dog or know what that certain brand of food is like. “The ‘cheese’ chews like fresh Play-Doh, whereas the ‘meat’ chews like Play-Doh that’s been sitting out on a rug for a couple of hours,” describes to the reader the taste. It gives the reader the ability to better understand what Hodgman went through when eating the food.
2. What do you think Hodgman’s purpose was in writing this essay? What overall message/meaning do you take from the essay?
Hodgman’s purpose was to prove to people that they should not always believe what they read. Just because a certain brand of dog food does not have “meat by-product,” does not mean that it does not contain other bad things, such as “poultry by-product.” Many people who have dogs have no idea what kind of food that they are feeding their dog. People look for the bag or container that says they are the healthiest or the best. The overall meaning is that people simply look for the “best” product instead of researching and finding the product that is actually the best.
(The Norton Sampler p.77)
Read the selection and write a one paragraph response to the following questions.
1. Cite three specific examples of Hodgman’s descriptive imagery that you find to be particularly effective.
Hodgman uses many different descriptive images that are effective in getting her point across. She uses phrases such as, “stinky, white-flecked mush,” to describe the wet dog food and phrases like, “stinky, fat-drenched nuggets,” to describe dry dog food. These phrases help the reader understand just how disgusting the dog food was, without going into that much detail. She also says, “There was a horrifying rush of cheddar taste, followed immediately by the dull tang of soybean flower.” This sentence has some exaggeration and helps readers who may not have a dog or know what that certain brand of food is like. “The ‘cheese’ chews like fresh Play-Doh, whereas the ‘meat’ chews like Play-Doh that’s been sitting out on a rug for a couple of hours,” describes to the reader the taste. It gives the reader the ability to better understand what Hodgman went through when eating the food.
2. What do you think Hodgman’s purpose was in writing this essay? What overall message/meaning do you take from the essay?
Hodgman’s purpose was to prove to people that they should not always believe what they read. Just because a certain brand of dog food does not have “meat by-product,” does not mean that it does not contain other bad things, such as “poultry by-product.” Many people who have dogs have no idea what kind of food that they are feeding their dog. People look for the bag or container that says they are the healthiest or the best. The overall meaning is that people simply look for the “best” product instead of researching and finding the product that is actually the best.
Journal #2 - The Death of a Moth
1. How are the moths in the essay’s opening different from the moth at the campsite? What do the different moths represent?
The moths in the opening are dead because a spider caught them in its web. They represent a colder side of death. The moth at the campsite dies by going into the fire of the candle. This moth, however, turns death into something beautiful by shining and making the candle brighter than it was before. This moth shows that something good can come out of death.
2. What lesson does the moth provide that Dillard takes back to her students?
Dillard connects the moths to writing. She asks her students, “Which of you want to give your lives and be writers?” Dillard is trying to teach her students that something beautiful can come out of death, and it can come out of someone spending their entire lives working towards a goal that they reach. Writing something amazing is like the bright flame that the moth helped create.
3. How many references are there to fire in the essay? What’s the larger significance of fire in the essay?
There are two references to fire in the essay; when the moth dies on the candle, and the novel Dillard is reading, The Day on Fire. The fire symbolizes something beautiful that comes out of the death of the moth. After the moth had died, the fire burned more brightly and was a “saffron-yellow” color. The fire is described as beautiful and strong.
4. Address how each of the following quotes connect to Dillard’s overall point.
a. “I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”
-Jack London
This quotation is saying that he will try and make a difference now, and after he dies, his “spark” will burn out. This is what happened to the moth. The moth was doing things that she needed to do, and in her last moments of life and first moments of death she made a difference to the narrator. After her death, the narrator blew her spark out.
b. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
-William Butler Yeats
This quotation is saying that education is not going to class every day and taking notes, but going out into the world and using what you learned to make a difference. Burning brightly enough to make a difference is the main point of the essay and Yeats quotation.
c. “A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us.”
-Franz Kafka
Kafka’s quotation is saying that a book should be able to open a new world to the person who is reading it. Dillard is trying to stress to her students that they need to be fully dedicated to the book or anything that they are writing so that the book will be able to open up a new world for the reader.
The moths in the opening are dead because a spider caught them in its web. They represent a colder side of death. The moth at the campsite dies by going into the fire of the candle. This moth, however, turns death into something beautiful by shining and making the candle brighter than it was before. This moth shows that something good can come out of death.
2. What lesson does the moth provide that Dillard takes back to her students?
Dillard connects the moths to writing. She asks her students, “Which of you want to give your lives and be writers?” Dillard is trying to teach her students that something beautiful can come out of death, and it can come out of someone spending their entire lives working towards a goal that they reach. Writing something amazing is like the bright flame that the moth helped create.
3. How many references are there to fire in the essay? What’s the larger significance of fire in the essay?
There are two references to fire in the essay; when the moth dies on the candle, and the novel Dillard is reading, The Day on Fire. The fire symbolizes something beautiful that comes out of the death of the moth. After the moth had died, the fire burned more brightly and was a “saffron-yellow” color. The fire is described as beautiful and strong.
4. Address how each of the following quotes connect to Dillard’s overall point.
a. “I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”
-Jack London
This quotation is saying that he will try and make a difference now, and after he dies, his “spark” will burn out. This is what happened to the moth. The moth was doing things that she needed to do, and in her last moments of life and first moments of death she made a difference to the narrator. After her death, the narrator blew her spark out.
b. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
-William Butler Yeats
This quotation is saying that education is not going to class every day and taking notes, but going out into the world and using what you learned to make a difference. Burning brightly enough to make a difference is the main point of the essay and Yeats quotation.
c. “A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us.”
-Franz Kafka
Kafka’s quotation is saying that a book should be able to open a new world to the person who is reading it. Dillard is trying to stress to her students that they need to be fully dedicated to the book or anything that they are writing so that the book will be able to open up a new world for the reader.
Journal #1 - Robert Frank Narrative
Journal Narrative
I stand by the window, but I am not enjoying the scenery, the window is covered by the flag I put up for my son. I am contemplating; I am worrying; I am praying. He has been fighting in World War II in Europe for seven months and will not be coming back anytime soon, which makes me feel lonely because my only child is not here with me, and I am worried that he will follow in the footsteps of his father and die in the line of fire. I pray to the Lord every day to protect him and keep him healthy, to let him come home.
Ever since he was a child I took care of him and gave him the best life I could. His father died when he was just a child; I’ve raised him by myself as best as I could. We did not have much, but he was always grateful and worked hard. He was determined to be a better person and have a better life for himself. He took that determination into adulthood and decided to serve his country by fighting in the war. While I am proud he is serving his country, I desperately want him to come home. I support my son’s decision to go and fight the war, but I am a mother, I will always worry for my child’s safety, I will always want them to come home, and I will always want them to have everything that they deserve. I do not believe that he deserves to put himself in the line of danger, but I do believe that he is being brave. It is very hard to think about what could possibly happen to my son while he is overseas fighting the war, but he is being strong, so I must also be strong.
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